A proud history

I have to say in this fine country we are completely blessed with people full of passion and added to that exceptional resources, which have come together to make the kiwi gardening experience what it is – something amazing.

Just think how quickly I’d fill my beds with a machine like that!

Watching sand fall onto the pile is strangely mesmerizing.

This is a company built on kiwi ingenuity and an can do attitude.

Many of our established garden brands are built on such vision and invention and to be honest as a humble gardener I don’t think we fully appreciate the effort these pioneers in New Zealand gardening have made it possible for us to have it so good.   For example, the good old Yates garden guide, started in 1895, Arthur Yates saw a need for a book that would answer gardeners’ questions and it is still a go to guide almost a century and a quarter later!

Call me crazy but I covet a mountain of bark like this, or maybe a tad less

Neil Dalton may be the head of the family business but is perfectly happy digging in the sand. I think we should all love what we do!

Water used to sort the sand particles into different sizes creates beauty as it escapes from the industrial nature of the site

It is so easy to take it for granted but grains of sand are very beautiful.

I was fortunate enough to be invited on a tour of the Daltons site down in Matamata this week and while not as old as the Yates Garden Guide, it is steeped with the same kiwi ingenuity and passion that makes us proud to be kiwis.  It is a company that began in 1947 and evolved to develop uses for local resources and biproducts and meet the evolving needs of their customers.  It was with a tenaciousness that the company worked on becoming what it is today.  It is still a proudly run family business.

If you want to measure the landscape inspiration Xanthe White has to offer, then you need you use something very large indeed!

This garden was featured at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2006 and received a Silver Gilt Flora award. It has been rebuilt in Matamata. As much as it would have been incredible to see it in London, it is still pretty cool to see it here.

The juxtaposition between the cut stone and the natural stone have no meaning to the moss that covers them both, making them both even more amazing

They have also collaborated with the lovely Xanthe White to create a spectacular 10 acre display garden at the Dalton’s Plantation (just down the road) which is open for group bookings and events, that is oozing with inspiration at every turn.  The gardens are stunning and made all the more incredible with it being the most glorious blue sky spring day, making all the features pop.  As the season progresses and the plants grow to take their places, the gardens can only become more magnificent.  If you get the chance to check out these gardens, you are in for a treat.

The sound of falling water in a tranquil garden is so restful. Note to self – make water feature at some point in the future.

The pink spring growth on these trees against the dark of the hedge really pops!

I found myself with loads of magnolia photos. It is such a bold flower in a season dominated by flowers that appear more fragile.

The curls and swirls in the concrete patio are so ingenious and incredibly beautiful.

I admire the circular herb garden, even in the early days of spring you can get a glimpse of what it will be like in the heady days of summer.

I love how the duckweed forms a perfect circle beneath the falling water, like it was perfectly designed. A good reminder when we garden we are working with nature not making it bend to our will.

Come again soon – it is one thing to swan about in other gardens, but it won’t get mine sorted out!

Sarah the Gardener  : o)